Today I talk to Dr. Chris Palmer (@chrispalmermd), a Harvard psychiatrist and neuroscientist researching the link between metabolism and mental health. He is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital.
Dr. Palmer has generated the first sweeping theory of what causes mental illness, incorporating existing research into one unifying ideaโthe brain energy theory of mental illness. You can discover more in his new book Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Healthโand Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More.
-โบPurchase Brain Energy:ย https://amzn.to/3Gppbb4ย (Amazon Link)
Mitochondria play a powerful indirect role in the production and regulation of neurotransmitters. They play a powerful role in the production and regulation of key hormones like cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone. They also directly, through their activity, turn inflammation on and off, and they play a role in the gut microbiome.
Dr. Chris Palmer
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In This Episode, Dr. Chris Palmer And I Discuss his new book, brain energy, a revolutionary breakthrough in understanding mental health
Dr. Palmer is a world-renowned expert on mental health and brain energy, and he shares with us some surprising insights about how this essential factor affects our physical and mental health. Tune in to learn more about how to get more brain energy and improve your mental health! If you’re interested in alternative health and want to learn more about the role brain energy and metabolism play in our mental health, this episode is for you! Dr. Chris Palmer discusses the surprising discovery of how brain energy affects mental illness in an easy-to-understand way. Thanks for listening!
- The new understanding of mental illness, from symptoms and risk factors to what is happening in our brain cells.
- Why mental illness is on the rise not just in the United States but globally.
- Why classifying mental disorders as separate conditions is misleading
- The clear connection between mental illness and disorders linked to metabolism including diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, pain disorders, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, and epilepsy.
- The link between metabolism and every known factor to play a role in mental health, including genetics, inflammation, hormones, neurotransmitters, sleep, stress and trauma.
- The evidence that current mental health treatments, including both medications and therapies, likely work by affecting metabolism
- New treatments that are available to listeners today can promote long-term healing
- Why mental illness does not need to be chronic
- Have any questions, comments, or stories youโd like to share? Drop us a line at [email protected]m!
- And much moreโฆ
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More From My Interview With Dr. Chris Palmer On why brain energy improves mental health
During our interview, I asked Chris why many psychiatric medicines are causing more harm than good.
Dr. Chrisopher Palmer explains, “This is a really important question. And the overarching premise of my book is that mental disorders are actually metabolic disorders of the brain. I do a deep dive into the science of what that means and how that works at the cellular level. But one of the things that we know about many psychiatric medications is that they actually impair metabolism.
In that they cause weight gain, they can cause type two diabetes, and they can cause cardiovascular disease. And at least in the elderly, the FDA recognizes that they can cause premature mortality. So some of our treatments are actually impairing metabolism. And I do a bit of a deep dive into why those medicines might reduce symptoms in the short run. But I raised serious red flags about what those medicines might be doing to people over the long run, that they might actually be keeping people ill.
Or worse yet, they might actually end up causing symptoms or causing new symptoms or causing new disorders. And we know this with a lot of medications. We usually call them side effects with antipsychotic medications. For example, sometimes they can actually cause OCD, a brand new disorder, like out of the blue as though the person didn’t have enough problems already.
Now, we’re giving them a treatment, and it’s causing another disorder on top of their already existing disorders. And then it can cause neurological, metabolic, and all sorts of problems. And in the book, I raise serious concerns about these treatments. It’s not that these treatments should never be used. And I want to say for the record, if you’re taking any of these medications, please don’t stop them on your own. Please don’t just go cold turkey from all these meds because that’s a disaster and a nightmare. I’ve seen it a million times, don’t do it.
But I do want people to seriously consider their treatments’ impact on their metabolism. And looking at the long-term trajectory and trying to assess whether these are might be playing a role and, actually, you being chronically ill. And then, I would want you to work with a professional to try to come up with better treatments and or maybe try to get off these medications safely and effectively.”
Thanks, Dr. Chris Palmer!
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Resources From The Show With Dr. Chris Palmer
Please note that some of the links on this page (books, movies, music, etc.) lead to affiliate programs for which The Passion Struck podcast receives compensation. Itโs just one of the ways we keep the lights on around here. Thank you so much for being so supportive!
Website:ย https://www.chrispalmermd.com/
Instagram:ย https://www.instagram.com/chrispalmermd/
Twitter:ย https://twitter.com/ChrisPalmerMD/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-palmer-01713032/
My solo episode on whether or not free will exists: https://passionstruck.com/does-the-concept-of-free-will-really-exist/
My interview with Seth Godin on why we need systems to change to save the planet and address climate change: https://passionstruck.com/seth-godin-we-need-systems-change-save-planet/.
My interview with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman and Dr. Jordan Feingold on Choosing Growth and transcending self-doubt, fear, and anxiety: https://passionstruck.com/jordyn-feingold-scott-barry-kaufman-chose-growth/
My interview with Dr. Katy Milkman on the behavior science behind how we change: https://passionstruck.com/katy-milkman-behavior-change-for-good/
My solo episode on why micro choices matter: https://passionstruck.com/why-your-micro-choices-determine-your-life/
About Todayโs Guest, Dr. Christopher Palmer
Christopher Palmer, MD, received his medical degree fromย Washington University School of Medicine. He did his internship and psychiatry residency atย McLean Hospital,ย Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. He is currently the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
For the past 25 years, he has been an academic physician with administrative, research, educational, and clinical roles.
Dr. Palmer leads McLean Hospitalโs Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education. In this role, he has developed hundreds of educational conferences, workshops, Grand Rounds, and other professional educational activities under Harvard Medical School’s aegis. His leadership has transformed the hospital’s small, subsidized department into a flourishing educational program that is now leading mental health education for professionals nationwide.
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